‘In the Cloud’ art exhibits opens Jan. 25 at WSU Tri-Cities

A new exhibit exploring the impact of technology on daily life opens Jan. 25 in The Art Center at Washington State University Tri-Cities in Richland.

The show, In the Cloud by artist Joe Batt, runs through Feb. 26.

It features sculptures of children using various devices, such as tablets, and questions the role of digital media and technology in everyday life.

“Though it might be impossible to understand the impact of these real changes, this new body of work is my way of beginning to creatively process and, to a degree, question them,” Batt said in a news release. “I chose children as the main characters because I feel that the unknown impact of the digital age is effectively conveyed through them.”

Peter Christenson, WSU Tri-Cities assistant professor of fine arts and Art Center curator, added that there’s a “lovely, but haunting, juxtaposition embedded in the ceramic figurines themselves — handmade clay dolls clenching a variety of electronics.”

“They are unique and approachable, yet eerily disconnected and impassive like the technology they embrace,” he said.

An opening reception is at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28 in the art center.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 1:25 AM with the headline "‘In the Cloud’ art exhibits opens Jan. 25 at WSU Tri-Cities."